Gun-Shaped Doorknobs Function Like A Real Pistol: Pulling The Trigger Unlocks The Door.

These creative door handles/hardware, designed by Russian product designer Nikita Kovalev of Napalm Design, look and function like a real gun. The Bang Bang handle was inspired by the Makarov Pistol.*  You have to “pull the trigger” to open/unlock the door.

Gun Chairs (Or New York Chairs) by Sebastian Errazuriz

If you're not familiar with the witty yet urbane works of artist Sebastian Errazuriz, you ought to be. His tongue in cheek objects and installations are compelling and provocative, not to mention unusual. One of his fun projects is his collection of New York Chairs or Gun Chairs.

Art Assault. 23 Artists Transform Decommissioned AK-47 Rifles In The Name Of Peace. ALL The Pieces From The AKA Peace Exhibition.

The most celebrated names in Contemporary Art united for Peace One Day, to react against the horror of violence globally, with ‘AKA Peace’.



Creating brand new works for a blockbuster autumn exhibition, curated by Jake Chapman in collaboration with non-profit organization Peace One Day, these artists have each reinterpreted an AK-47 assault rifle – the most recognizable and devastating worldwide killing machine – as arresting artworks of intrigue and even beauty; recasting a weapon of devastation as a conduit to peace.

Below are images of all the pieces:

Jake and Dinos Chapman:


Damien Hirst:

detail:

Antony Gormley:


Sam Taylor Wood:

detail:

Gavin Turk:

Solange Azagury-Partridge:

detail:

Rebecca Warren:

Stuart Semple (aka NIMROD):

Tim Noble and Sue Webster:

detail:

Douglas Gordon:


Jeremy Deller:

Marc Quinn:

Ryan Gander:

Jim Lambie:

Langlands & Bell:


Mat Collishaw:


Harland Miller:

detail:

Bran Symondson:

detail:

Sarah Lucas:


Charming Baker:

Antony Micallef:

Nancy Fouts:

detail:

Laila Shawa:

detail:


Here are a few beautiful portraits of the artists by Bran Symondson for his Cease Fire Magazine photo essay on the project:

Charming Baker:

Jake Chapman:

Tim Noble and Sue Webster:

Solange Azagury-Partridge:

Antony Micallef:

see more here

The AKA Peace Trailer:


The exhibition, originally conceived by photographer Bran Symondson and now curated by artist Jake Chapman, coincided with Peace Day, Friday 21 September 2012 and will raise awareness of Peace Day and raise funds for Peace One Day’s Global Truce 2013 campaign.

Jeremy Gilley, founder of Peace One Day said, “AKA Peace is a really profound project; turning a weapon of destruction into a weapon of peace is awesome. The benefits of awareness and finance to help Global Truce 2013 is a great outcome. I’m grateful to Bran for having a wonderful idea and it’s an honour to have Jake Chapman curate the project.” Peace Day 2012 will be marked by the Peace One Day Concert, at Wembley Arena in London. Headlining the concert will be Elton John, alongside James Morrison and 2Cellos.

The ICA exhibition of AKA Peace runs from 26 until 30 September at the Institute of Contemporary Art before the pieces are auctioned at Phillips de Pury & Company on 4th October to raise funds and awareness for Peace One Day and Global Truce 2013.

For more information please visit: www.peaceoneday.org/aka-peace

Bran Symondson took the majority of the photos shown in this post. The Damien Hirst image is courtesy of Damien Hirst, The Jim Lambie image is courtesy of Ruth Clark via Phillips de Pury. Other images courtesy of Peace One Day.

Books and Bibles that go Bang Bang! Bookguns by artist Robert The.

Artist Robert The has been turning the printed word into facsimiles of weapons since 1995. His choice of books have purposefully ironic titles or subject matter when handcarved into the shape of handguns.

The Medium Is The Message:

Poetic Justice:

Psychotherapy With Adolescent Girls:

Young Students:



He states "Obsession with the semiotic erosion of meaning and reality led me to create objects that evangelize their own relevance by a direct fusion of word and form. Books (many culled from dumpsters and thrift store bins) are lovingly vandalized back to life so they can assert themselves against the culture which turned them into debris." - Robert The, 1995




In addition to taking well known novels such as J.D. Salinger's Catcher In the Rye (above) and academic texts and turning them into pistols made of pages, Robert has a series of bibles he's turned into different weapons as well.






Undoubtedly his turning bibles into guns and grenades will get most people up in arms, so to speak, but that's kind of the point.


above: various versions of the new testament carved into handguns by Robert The

Thanks to GizFactory via Toxel for bringing these to my attention.